Place of residence: Cleveland, OH

Position: Freelance Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) and Space/Science Correspondent, Digital Content Creator for DepartmentC, Science Journalist Mentor at The Open Notebook, Owner and CEO of Rocket Girl Enterprise, LLC

Please describe a day in your life

It’s gotten quite interesting and ever-changing since I opened my LLC, Rocket Girl Enterprise, and I work as a contractor for different companies! I would have to say this career change is quite different and unique, allowing for a better work-life balance working from home most of the time (unless I’m filling in at a local TV station or reporting on a space-related event in the field!)

I’ve been a broadcast meteorologist and reporter for 16 years, and those days consisted of putting together my weather forecasts for the newscasts I was a part of and, some days, getting out in the field doing a special report on something happening in the community or on topics of weather, climate, science, and space to name a few. With the exception of the TV station I was at in New York City, I also had to do my own hair/make-up as well as select my outfits to wear on the news (this question comes up quite often, and while I had guidance, I did it all!).

Meredith Garofalo

Many days were non-stop, multi-tasking, wearing many different hats, and working all types of shifts, including weekends, having to be at work by 2 AM, and some nights, working well past midnight. And, some days on my dinner break, I would participate in a community event, serving as an emcee or guest speaker, and then make a costume change, making sure to get back to the station with enough time to prepare and present the weather on the evening news.

It’s quite different now; I schedule my week around different projects for different companies while also allowing myself time during the day to focus on my mental health and well-being. Some days, I’m writing a story about the latest on STEM and space topics for Space.Com, and other days, I’m developing creative content or conducting interviews to highlight science happening at NASA. I’m proud to be a respected and trusted scientist and journalist as well as a public figure, and I do my best every single day to pay it forward, make a positive difference in the lives of others, and tell the stories that need to be told.

How many projects are you currently working on? Please describe them

For Space.Com, sometimes I’m suggesting stories to write about and other days, they come to me with ideas of what I can report on. One of my recent projects was interviewing scientists at the National Weather Service (NWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) to talk about changes they are hoping to make to the current space weather scales, which are similar to those for tornadoes and hurricanes. It’s been more than 20 years since they were adopted.

Researchers and scientists hope to come up with a more up-to-date revision with advancements in technology and discoveries pertaining to space weather. So, I wrote an article to explain more about the creation of the scales, what they mean, and the importance of having new scales that make the impacts of solar activity easier to understand and more transparent to the general public. I’m also working as a contractor on a few different projects, contributing to the creation of digital content for different NASA science missions, including interviewing key scientists and researchers, composing feature articles for publication, and social media posts to highlight the work of interest to the public and beyond!

In your opinion, who is the most influential person/company in the world of technology these days?

As much as I hate to admit it, I still see social media companies ruling the world, allowing people the platform to speak their minds and have opinions on whatever is happening in the world. Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok are just a few that have become a daily one-stop shop for news, gossip, and connecting with others we both know and have never met.

What would you like the industry to look like in ten years?

I would love to see ways to highlight the experts in the fields of STEM and space instead of those who claim to be experts in an area they have not been trained in or have experience working in. Social media, while it has some benefits, also provides a platform for some people to create a false identity and gain support without any credentials or background checks. The number of imposters and fake accounts being created is overwhelming, and I genuinely hope social media platforms will become a place of more fact than fiction, which I know will take some serious measures and regulations.

I genuinely hope to see more people spend time out in the real world just living instead of creating their identity and living life through social media. I read it before, and I agree fully that what others think of you is none of your business; at the end of the day, we need to love ourselves more and be true to who we are, not what others want us to be. I also want to continue to see more women rising up in careers of STEM and space being recognized for their contributions and efforts; we’ve come a long way, but there’s so much more room for ladies to lead and spread their wings in the corporate and entrepreneur arena.

What is the most challenging thing you had to deal with during your career?

I loved my TV career, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it because I was very successful at the end of the day and accomplished all the goals I set for myself. In addition, I know I’ve also impacted the lives of millions of people who’ve watched me on TV or online telling stories and presenting the weather. But in return, I sacrificed a lot of myself and, at times, had very low mental, physical, and emotional health. I always felt that I had to be on 24/7, posting the latest weather and news on social media, ready to go to work at all hours for breaking news or weather when my boss felt I was needed.

This meant many days with lack of sleep, poor nutrition and skipped workouts (as I worked through my breaks and sometimes very long hours nonstop). The mental toll of working at times in a toxic environment at work or under the scrutiny and relentless opinions of the viewers on who I needed to be and what they found wrong with me. I missed weddings, funerals, and holidays with family because the mindset was that it was normal and the career needed to come first. There were some newsrooms I worked in where yelling and screaming were normal by supervisors, and bullying by co-workers was allowed and sometimes accepted as the norm.

Meredith Garofalo, Freelance Certified Broadcast Meteorologist

If personalities clashed, it could quickly become a high school popularity contest of alliances formed that broke down the concept of teamwork, and if you were the outcast, your entire day, week, or even month could be ruined by jealousy and hate from others. Then, being a public figure, you became front and centre for feedback from your viewers, who felt the need to inform you publicly through an email or phone call that you were too fat or skinny, looked horrible from a dislike of your make-up, hairstyle, or clothing choice, or were just “annoying” because of your personality or the way you spoke.

I’ve heard it all, and I gained some very thick skin over the years, but at the end of the day, we are humans, and sometimes, for every ten compliments, it just takes one or two after a long day at work that gets in your head and can make you spiral. I can’t make up some of my stories, and unless you’ve spent time in the public eye, it’s tough to understand precisely what it’s like. But, at the end of the day, I look at challenges as key moments to our growth and success, and while at the moment, it might feel like a setback, it contributes to a big push forward when you choose not to give up and rise above the ashes.

What is your greatest achievement up until today?

Being able to say, “I did it! And this is only the beginning.” I have lived my childhood dream of being a meteorologist on the news and working in both New York City and my hometown of Cleveland. When I was three, my Mom’s survival story from a tornado outbreak inspired me to want to save lives and warn people of bad weather. Kids made fun of me and bullied me through school, being a nerdy girl who loved science and had a dream different than most, but I kept persevering and focusing on the end goal with the support of my loved ones and teachers. College was tough; I had to get a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology, which required a math minor and classes that were so challenging for me, including physics, thermodynamics, and three years of calculus.

I was more of the creative sort, more of a writer and presenter than a standardized test taker, so I struggled all four years to keep my grades at a 3.0 average and prove a few teachers wrong who thought I didn’t have what it took to make it through it all. When I walked across that stage with my degree in May of 2008, it was the best feeling in the world, and I knew I was one step closer to achieving my life goal.

Meredith Garofalo Space/Science Correspondent

It took me longer than I had planned, 15 years in total. Still, after losing my job twice, moving all across the country from coast to coast, from the peaks of Colorado to the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico to the plains of South Dakota, I did it. In 2021, I was hired into the New York City TV market and was honoured as a 40 Under 40 in my field in 2023 for my work on-air and in the community.

At the end of 2023, God’s plans were perfect, bringing me back to my hometown TV market of Cleveland, OH, where I filled in for four months on my Mom’s favourite channel, the CBS affiliate Channel 19. I still get to do freelance work now, but I can happily say that my greatest achievement was accomplished, and I thank God for being with me every step of the way, first and foremost, and the family, friends, and mentors who supported me through the good times and the bad. So grateful.

What is your next goal?

There have been no female meteorologists in space. So, I would love to be the first – perhaps giving a weather report live from microgravity and singing our national anthem proudly while giving thanks to my ancestors and heritage from Sicily, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia. I also would love to continue to grow my company to be someday able to help others transition from their TV careers into the fields of STEM and space and help them find jobs and opportunities to use their unique skillset in a different way. And I still want to sing the national anthem at a Cleveland Browns game, my hometown team!

If you could say something to your younger self, what would it be?

Don’t let what others think of you create a storm of doubt and worry. Keep your faith first, and let it lead you always to find the sunshine through even the strongest storms. You are so beautiful, inside and out, and refuse to let others take away that radiating sparkle of your soul. Life will be as challenging as it can be accessible at times, but let your soul shine as bright as the stars in the night sky, and always remember that the galaxy is your limit. Anything you want to achieve is possible; trust God and let Him lead you where you need to go. Life many times is not how we imagine it; there are as many tears as there will be laughs, so just go with the flow, trust the process, and believe YOU can and will be whatever you want!

Which famous person would you like to have dinner with and why?

Cornelia Fort was one of the original Women’s Air Force Service Pilots (WASP), and sadly, she was the first woman pilot to die while on active duty. I’ve read books and articles about her life and feel strangely connected to this era as a past life. I would love to hear her stories and learn more about this time period when women were just beginning to soar!

Where would you like to travel next?

I’ve never been to Europe, but I love history and heritage, so I would love to find the places my ancestors called home and learn more about the generations before me.

Do you have a person who influences or motivates you?

There are so many women breaking barriers and making a difference these days. I get inspired whenever I read another story about a girl rising above adversity to live her dreams and make a difference. It’s hard to pinpoint just one person, as many women in my family and friends circle consistently set the bar higher every day. Still, I greatly respect and admire Janice Dean, the Chief Meteorologist at FOX News. She has also turned her career into a platform to advocate for many important topics and justice for those who have wronged others. We met at her book signing on Long Island, and I love how she stands up for what she believes in no matter how critical the feedback is and puts family first above all despite a wild busy schedule. You go, girl!

What did you dream of creating/inventing/doing as a child?

I mentioned this above, but singing the national anthem at a professional sporting event and writing a book was another thing. To date, I’ve performed for the MLB, NFL, and NHL, as well as at the National Western Stock Show in Colorado. I’m currently writing a book where I will share life lessons and my journey as a broadcast meteorologist, hoping to motivate and inspire others in the same field and young dreamers everywhere who need that extra cheerleader along the way to say, “You’ve got this, I was once in your shoes (or heels)!”

What advice do you give to young girls who want to follow similar careers?

If you want to pursue a career as a meteorologist or a journalist on TV, you’ve got to have a tough skin and a strong positive circle surrounding you. You’re not going to make a lot of money, you’re likely going to have to move to places you’ve never heard of starting off and have to start over making friends and a home in new places every couple of years, but don’t let that discourage you from living your dreams.

Find mentors who believe in you, and never stop networking! Make yourself a priority no matter what, and choose to focus on your mental health every single day. Prioritize “you time” and journal your feelings or talk to those you trust and who love you on the most challenging days. Know it’s okay to have setbacks, and you’ll fail at some point, but that’s all part of a successful career. And if you find yourself wanting to change careers, whether a few years in or more than a decade later, it’s never too early or too late to try something new. Be true to yourself, and never, ever give up.